Provost Rick Marrs, Vice President of Student Affairs Connie Horton, President Jim Gash, and Seaver Dean Michael Feltner address the Pepperdine community in a Zoom video call | Photo from COVID-19 Seaver Informational Town Hall
Following the email notification from President Jim Gash at 8 a.m. Wednesday morning, Pepperdine’s administration is holding a town hall via Zoom call at 10 AM P.S.T. for students to get more information about the rest of the semester.
We’ll be updating you live on the takeaways from the town hall. Stay tuned for the latest:
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That’s it for our live reporting of the call. Except for the bullet points below, there were not many details added that weren’t in the initial email. Questions quickly became repetitive and extremely specific. A lot of things— such as graduation, how online classes will be handled, international student logistics, and Campus Life Fee refunds— are still up in the air. One thing was certain: Feltner and Gash were insistent that the decision they made is the right one. Thanks for those of you who stayed updated with the Graphic! Check back in at www.pepperdine-graphic.com as this story unfolds.
- The key takeaways from this meeting that weren’t mentioned in the original email are:
- All future convocations and events are cancelled.
- Students will receive full convo. credit.
- Students who live on campus will receive a pro-rated discount.
- There will be no tuition discounts
- Administration intends to hold graduation as planned.
- Classes are expected to continue as usual following the spring semester (with the exception of the Shanghai program).
- Students may leave their cars on campus.
- 10:11 AM: That concludes the Zoom town hall.
- We have looked at the form to sign up to stay. The options are: “I’m an athlete and my sport is still holding practice or training sessions,” “I am an international student and feel concerned about the safety of returning to my home country at this time,” and “I need additional time to arrange for new housing.” There is also a free-response option for unique circumstances.
- 10:10 AM: “You are the reason we work here, you are the reason we come here everyday, so this is going to be just as difficult for us,” Gash concludes.
- 10:09 AM: “Let us close by just communicating our care for you, our biggest concern for your well-being and the rest of the semester. Please know that you’re in our prayers,” Feltner says.
- 10:08 AM: They are wrapping this up soon, questions are becoming repetitive.
- 10:04 AM: The university expects to resume all school programs as usual following the spring semester.
- 10:02 AM: L.A. King’s game is cancelled and students will be receiving a refund for their tickets.
- 11:01 AM: A student accuses the administration of going “overboard.” Gash says this decision is in line with decisions other university’s have made. Schools that are only going online for a limited time are currently on their spring breaks, Gash said. Advisors told administration that it would not be prudent to resume classes till the beginning of April, which at that point would not be feasible.
- 10:59 AM: Campus security will remain on campus, says Gash.
- 10:57 AM: Feltner says students should still register for fall classes.
- 10:56 AM: “We are aware of no instances of anybody with coronavirus on campus, or currently being on campus right now,” Gash says.
- 10:55 AM: “As a community we are going to need to extend grace and passion in the days ahead,” says Feltner in response to a positive comment.
- 10:52 AM: No housing refunds for students who live off-campus. Commuters may stay in their off-campus residences, if they wish.
- 10:51 AM: Faculty and staff will “absolutely” have access to campus, says Feltner.
- 10:50 AM: Students may opt out of graduation ceremony, according to Feltner.
- 10:49 AM: Students in China, who are subject to internet difficulties, will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
- 10:48 AM: Administration will look into refunding Student Life Fee, says Horton.
- 10:47 AM: No classes will be held on Monday or Tuesday. Luau is cancelled. The writing center remains open.
- 10:45 AM: “Will students receive full convo credit? The short answer is yes,” says Feltner.
- 10:45 AM: Student employees will still receive payment for this payment period.
- 10:42 AM: Classes will be continue to be held according to PST time zone. Assignments may accommodate multiple time zones, says Feltner.
- 10:41 AM: Feltner says there will be no refund for tuition.
- 10:40 AM: Decisions about Payson Library have yet to be made, according to Feltner.
- 10:38 AM: Some key takeaways so far:
- All convos are cancelled.
- Petitions to stay on-campus are to be submitted by 3 p.m. today. Submitters will receive a decision tomorrow, according to an HRL email.
- Everyone gets full convo credit.
- 10:35 AM: Feltner says cancellation is final.
- 10:34 AM: Cafeteria will remain operating, hours will be dependent on number of students who need it.
- 10:33 AM: “Why was the decision made when the decision was made?” Feltner responds that the university consulted with public health agencies and experts. “In our minds, we didn’t reach the need to cancel until this morning,” Feltner said.
- 10:32 AM: All questions about personal circumstances should be directed to your advisor or Seaver College Dean’s office.
- 10:31 AM: “We are trying to limit the amount of groups of people together, and that includes the residence halls,” Horton says to a question of whether or not students can be exempt from leaving dorms.
- 10:30 AM: University will remain flexible if students are unable to move out on time.
- 10:30 AM: Final exams will be held online.
- 10:29 AM: The hope is to have summer classes in-person. “If that is not a possibility, we will look at using an online option for summer classes,” says Feltner.
- 10:28 AM: Feltner says the plan is to have students return to campus for the graduation ceremony. This plan is not set in stone.
- 10:27 AM: “If classes are cancelled for safety, why are we waiting till Monday to cancel classes?” Gash responds by saying there is no immediate safety concern, and class cancellations are a preventative measure to reduce spread among campus community.
- 10:26 AM: Students can leave cars on campus, says Horton.
- 10:25 AM: Reimbursement amounts will be decided in a few days, according to Feltner. Gash repeats that it will be pro-rated depending on the amount of time that students have been here.
- 10:24 AM: Decisions for international students will be decided on a case-by-case basis.
- 10:23 AM: All on-campus mail will be held on campus unless you requested it to be forwarded.
- 10:22 AM: Now turning to Q and A: Student events for clubs will no longer be held on campus, according to Horton.
- 10:19 AM: There will be a pro-rated refund for students living on campus, according to Horton.
- 10:18 AM: “We feel the loss that you are experiencing, and we’ll do the best to help you in the days ahead. You are in my prayers,” concludes Feltner. VP of Administration Connie Horton now speaking.
- 10:17 AM: “We are ready to get back to normal as soon as possible,” says Dean Feltner.
- 10:14 AM: Summer programs are planned to continue at all campuses except Shanghai.
- 10:13 AM: No decisions have been made about graduation, as of yet.
- 10:12 AM: Songfest, concerts, and theater events are cancelled. Athletics will continue as planned.
- 10:11 AM: All scheduled convocations, as well as classes in Elkins auditorium, are cancelled for the remainder of the semester. Internships will be deliberated upon on a case-by-case basis.
- 10:09 AM: Laboratories, studio classes, etc. are in the process of being planned now, according to Feltner.
- 10:08 AM: Dean Feltner takes the mic. He’s outlining the schedule: last day of class is Friday, March 13th, per the email. Class schedules will not change when classes resume remotely on Monday.
- 10:05 AM: “We hope to bring our community back together as soon as it is safe and prudent to do so.” Gash also said the university hopes to hold graduation ceremonies as planned.
- 10:04 AM: Gash is outlining the history of the university’s Infectious Disease Taskforce.
- 10:03 AM: Jim Gash begins the town hall with a speech about the university’s response to the coronavirus. Seated from left to right: Provost Rick Marrs, Vice President of Student Affairs Connie Horton, President Jim Gash, and Seaver Dean Michael Feltner.
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Follow James Moore on Twitter: @James25moore or reach out to him by email: james.moore@pepperdine.edu
